(CNN) - A Mississippi judge has tossed out state Sen. Chris McDaniel's challenge to that state's June 24 GOP primary runoff results, ending another chapter in one of the most bitterly contested U.S. Senate primaries in recent memory and bringing longtime Sen. Thad Cochran one step closer to another term in Washington.

Special Judge Hollis McGehee ruled that McDaniel waited too long to file his challenge with state Republican Party. McDaniel filed the challenge 41 days after the election; McGehee said that under state law the challenge had to be filed within 20 days.

(CNN) - Republican Scott Brown appears to be closing the gap in his U.S. Senate race against Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, according to a new survey released Thursday.

The WMUR Granite State Poll indicates Shaheen leads Brown 46% to 44%, with 9% of likely voters undecided. Because the margin is within the survey's sampling error, the candidates are statistically tied.

(CNN) - The stage is set in one of the most important Senate races this year's midterm elections, a contest that could decide whether the Democrats or Republicans control the chamber next year.

Former Alaska Attorney General Dan Sullivan held off two other major candidates to win Tuesday's Republican Senate primary, and will now face off in the general election against first term Democratic Sen. Mark Begich. If the GOP can flip the seat in Alaska, and five others without losing any ground, they will win control of the Senate.

(CNN) - Rep. Steve King dismissed suggestions that racial profiling has played a role in clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of an unarmed teen.

In an interview on Wednesday with the conservative network Newsmax TV, the conservative Republican congressman suggested, based on video he's seen of demonstrations in the St. Louis suburb, that racial profiling isn't a factor because all of the protesters are of the same "continental origin."

(CNN) - Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont says his brand of liberalism could serve as a "damn good platform" to run for president.

In an interview posted Monday to ABC/Yahoo News, Sanders, an independent who aligns himself with the Democratic Party, said income inequality is at its highest point in over eight decades - and the American people are ready to elect someone who's able to close that gap.